Though meatballs are traditionally thought of as eaten with spaghetti, the best meatballs usually have enough flavour to be eaten on their own with no pasta or sauce! We find meatballs to be the perfect size for any type of meal. We pair them with roast veggies and salad at home, with raw veggie sticks and cherry tomatoes for a picnic or school lunch, or just carry them with us in a bowl for a mid-afternoon snack. Meatballs are great hot OR cold!

These coconut meatballs were created as we looked for new ways to use a few of our new favourite ingredients: fresh ginger, lemongrass and shredded coconut. The result was so good that these meatballs have become a favourite not only in our home, but with friends who have tried them at picnics and parties. They are fantastic party fare!

Mince beef / ground beef is inexpensive, versatile and fun to cook with. Just make sure your meat comes from a good source – pasture-fed, humanely treated animals – and the meatballs will be nutritious and delicious.

As with most of my recipes, the amounts given are quite approximate and can be played around with depending on your personal tastes. In this meatball recipe, it’s more important to have the key ingredients than to be exact with measurements. You can also make bigger or smaller meatballs each time, just vary your oven cooking time for different sized meatballs (as noted below). Bigger meatballs are quicker to make and good for main meals at home, while smaller meatballs take a bit more time to roll and brown, but are a great size for your picnics, parties, school lunches and on-the-go snacks.

Notes– You can do Step 1 & 2 in advance and chill meatballs in sealed container in fridge until ready to cook.

Coconut Meatballs Recipe

Step 1: Mix together all ingredients except oil/butter and coconut. I like to use my hands to do this! Put shredded coconut on a plate.

Step 2: Roll mixture into smallish meatballs, then roll each ball in the shredded coconut.

Step 3: Preheat oven to 180C (350F). Fry meatballs in coconut oil and/or butter until well browned on all sides. Brown in batches so that meatballs are not crowded close together in the pan.

Step 4: Put browned meatballs on a baking tray (can use baking paper or grease the tray) and finish cooking them in the oven for 10-15 minutes. This timing is for small meatballs; the bigger your meatballs, the longer they will need in the oven to cook through.

Coconut oil can be found at most all health food stores or organic food shops. Make sure to get extra virgin to ensure the oil is not refined/processed. I like to use a combination of coconut oil and butter in the pan – works great. Hope you enjoy the meatballs! -Bex